Dear Editor, I refer to a story in last week’s Birmingham Post, City marketing boss hails Chancellor’s 8,000 jobs claim over HS2, which suggests that Marketing Birmingham, like Birmingham City Council and Centro, appear incapable of joined-up thinking.

The Chancellor plucks a number out of the air – HS2 will create 8,000 jobs – and there is much singing and dancing. But the hybrid bill to develop HS2 is not expected to get through Parliament before 2015.

On the day Mr Osborne produced his rabbit out of the hat, the Birmingham Post reported ‘Quick-win’ job schemes put regeneration projects on hold – projects like the expansion of Birmingham Airport and the regeneration of Longbridge won’t benefit from money from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund because the Local Enterprise partnership has been told that only short-term “quick-win” projects will be considered.

So £18 billion is being spent to create 8,000 jobs which might be available in 15 years time, while for the lack of a small proportion of that money, jobs are being denied. And remember, Washwood Heath is only a “credible option to assess” as a site for the HS2 depot, not the definite choice. There are no guarantees of jobs.

Centro appears to believe there will be enhancements to the rest of the area’s transport system as well as HS2. Where do they think the cash is coming from for that after £35 billion has been committed to HS2 and the extensions to Manchester and Leeds?

Last week’s Post also reported the likely closure of Citizen Advice Bureau offices and a 66 per cent reduction in the youth service budget.

Which services would the citizens of Birmingham prefer – vital cogs in the city’s social structure or a reduction in train times to London? Has anyone asked them?

Tom Reid

Lichfield